INTERNEURON GAINS BUCINDOLOL RIGHTS

Interneuron Pharmaceuticals has acquired Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Engineering Consultants, a private company which is developing a third-generation beta blocker, bucindolol, for the treatment of patients with heart failure. The purchase price of CPEC consists of common shares of Interneuron and certain unspecified reimbursement of expenses to CPEC, according to Interneuron. The company has formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, called Intercardia, to manage the clinical and regulatory development of the product.

Bucindolol has been selected by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institutes of Health for the Phase III Beta blocker Evaluation of Survival Trial (BEST), scheduled to begin in late-1994 or early-1995 and to include approximately 3,000 patients at multiple centers across the USA. Interneuron has agreed to contribute $2 million in funds over the course of the study.

Bucindolol "possesses an extensive clinical database and targets a large market which is currently underserved by effective drugs," according to Glenn Cooper, president and chief executive at Interneuron. "A significant number of heart failure patients who remain symptomatic on a combination of currently available drugs, including ACE inhibitors, have no further therapeutic options," he said. Dr Cooper also noted that bucindolol is unique in that it is the only member of its class in the USA which has been cleared for testing in patients with congestive heart failure. Bucindolol was selected for the BEST study because, unlike other beta blockers such as propranolol, it is a non-selective beta blocker, and is thought to combine positive inotropic effects with an independent vasodilatory effect.